A mass spectrometry system is an analytical system used for quantitative and qualitative determination of the compounds of materials such as chemical mixtures and biological samples. The mass spectrometry system may include a quadrupole (Q) mass analyzer system, an ion trap mass analyzer system (IT-MS), an ion cyclotron resonance mass analyzer system (ICR-MS), an orbitrap system, and the like.
In general, a mass spectrometry system uses an ion source to produce electrically charged particles such as molecular and/or atomic ions from the material to be analyzed. Once produced, the electrically charged particles are introduced to the mass spectrometer and separated by a mass analyzer based on their respective mass-to-charge ratios. The abundances of the separated electrically charged particles are then detected and a mass spectrum of the material is produced. The mass spectrum is analogous to a fingerprint of the sample material being analyzed. The mass spectrum provides information about the mass-to-charge ratio of a particular compound in a mixture sample and, in some cases, the molecular structure of that component in the mixture.
However, the accuracy of mass measurements using mass spectrometry systems can be problematic. Calibration methods are widely used to improve the accuracy mass measurements, but many are experimentally complex. Thus, there is a need in the industry to find improved and less complex calibration methods.